Archive for July, 2012|Monthly archive page

Since tomorrow is the start of a new month I have decided to start pushing myself towards living healthier. During the past two years or so I have not really cared much about eating healthy or exercising. Therefore, I have made up my mind and hopefully I am able to stick to this new healthy lifestyle.

Here is a list of my goals and plans for a better lifestyle:

1. Running/Walking 2 miles at least 5-6 times a week

2. Go on a hike at least once a week

3. Do 1 Insanity workout a week

4. Eating more fruits and vegetables

5. Control my food intake (stop eating before I get full, even if the food is amazing!)

6. Take my time eating instead of stuffing my face like its the end of the world

7. Only eat Chipotle once a month – this one is going to be soooo hard.. i LOVE Chipotle =[

8. Snack on almonds & carrots instead of hot cheetos

9. Eat a healthy breakfast every morning

10. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day

So those are my goals for the next couple of months. Hopefully I will be able to stick to it instead of giving up. As I progress I will be adding more to the list. Let’s get healthy people! 🙂

If you have any tips or stories you would like to share please feel free to leave a comment!

I am currently reading a book written by my friend Jennie Ketcham. I met Jennie through my boyfriend, Kevin, at one of his work functions. She is extremely funny and was always laughing at one thing or another. She had told me back in December about her memoir that was coming out and how she was trying to get everything together before her deadline. I was really impressed at how dedicated she was to finishing her novel. Many writers just imagine themselves famous instead of putting in the work to accomplish their dream. However, Jennie is not an ordinary writer. She is not just seeking fame. She wanted people to read about her life and accomplishments and actually learn something from it.

When her book/memoir finally came out, I decided to purchase it though Kindle because I find it more convienent than carrying a book around everywhere I go. Plus my boyfriend purchased the hard copy so I could just borrow it from him if I ever needed to. I started reading it as soon as I purchased it and was mesmerized from the very beginning. Jennie has a way of writing that is so raw and unashamed that it captures her audience from the start. I am about 1/3 of the way through and I have to admit that it is extremely hard to put the book (or in my case my iPhone) down.

What makes this memoir/book different from any other book is that Jennie is brutally honest and has no qualms in expressing her opinion. She is extremely intelligent as well as honest, which are traits more people need in this world. Not many people are able to change their life and stick to it. This book is a real eye opener and I encourage everyone to read it at least once.

This bible verse was hand picked for me by a special group of people who attended my church. They presented this verse to me on my 16th birthday at a surprise party they had planned for me. This verse is very special to me because it was a verse that was picked just for me and also because it given to me during a time of turmoil and tribulation.

When I first entered high school, I constantly wondered how my older friends had changed so much in the year it took me to graduate Jr. High School. What I never expected was to change just as much as they did. By my second year in High School, I had made friends who were two grades older than me and were the ones who eventually introduced me to smoking, alcohol and drugs.

The year after my 16th birthday, was spent trying new things and going out with new friends I had met online or at raves. Though I knew this was dangerous it did not stop me from going out. I can honestly say that my junior year in high school was one of the worst and best years of my life.

Shortly after my crazy, drug-filled year, my mother along with my church decided to send me to boarding school to keep me out of trouble. During that year, which was also my senior year, I had no contact with the outside world or with any of my friends. I was completely secluded and trapped in boarding school hell. It was there I realized how crazy I had been acting and thanked God that he had watched over me during those years.

I came to realize that this verse was God’s promise to me that he would send his angels to watch over me. That even though I had decided to go down a road of drugs and alcohol, he would send angels to keep watch over me and to make sure I ended up on the right path. To me angels can be anyone. They can be your friends or your family members. They can even be a complete stranger that keeps you from making a stupid decision. Now that I look back on my teenage years, I can honestly say that even though I had fun I was living quite dangerously and needed a wake up call.

Today my roommate, Amber, and I decided to jump start our exercise regimen by going on a hike. I am not quite sure where the hiking trail is located exactly but I do know it is somewhere in Palos Verdes. When we arrived at the trail we were excited as well as pumped to get the hike started. Though the temperature was a little high, it did not deter us from enjoying the beautiful, sunny day.

It took us about five minutes to get to the first sign post and we decided to take the trail to the right. Boy did we pick the wrong trail. We were about one minute into the trail when it took a dramatic change. From our point of view, the trail was literally a straight line up. Well maybe not a complete straight line but somewhere close to it. By the second minute we were breathless and our calves were burning!! I seriously thought we were in boot camp or something similar to it. Thank god we decided to push ourselves because we would never have made it to the top.

After completing the hike, I realized something important. If we do not fight and push ourselves each and every day, we will never be able to reach our goals and dreams. Life is complicated and extremely unpredictable just like that hiking trail. If we give up and lose sight of what we are fighting for, we will never reach the top. Therefore, we must remember to push ourselves every day so that in the end we can look back and be proud of where we are instead of where we wish we could be.

Below are some pictures we took when we reached the top. The view is amazing and truly gives me an appreciation for life.

This picture and quote is truly inspiring. Many people in this world, not just married couples, no longer have the mindset to fix what is broken. Many couples nowadays just take the easy way out and throw away everything they had before. But my question to them is: If you truly loved your significant other, why would you give up so easily now? I know that if my boyfriend and I were wedded, I would do everything in my power to fight for what we have. I would never give up because this is the man that I fell in love with. He is the reason for my laughter and happiness. He makes me whole.

What people need to realize is that nothing is easy. It takes hard work to survive and what makes things a little bit easier is having the love of your life fighting each day by your side.

Did you know the divorce rate in the U.S. is:

41% for the first marriage
60% for the second marriage
73% for the third marriage

I don’t know about you, but I will be fighting against the statistics and I will do everything in my power to fix what is broken instead of giving up.